“What? No. That’s not…” his voice trailed off. “I was just asking,” he said a little quieter.
And for some reason I started laughing. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. My stomach, which as far as I was concerned was very flat, hurt with laughter.
Cupcake started laughing too, probably just relieved that Miller wasn’t going to kick his ass, and then everyone started laughing.
“I feel like I haven’t eaten in a week,” I said and grabbed another sugarcake. “Cupcake, these really are great.”
“Thanks,” he said when he finally caught his breath. “I made them myself. It’s a new recipe with a secret ingredient.”
“What’s the secret?” Kennedy asked. “Love?”
He smiled and nudged her with his shoulder.
It was the first time that I actually thought they were cute together. I polished off my third sugarcake and sunk into the couch. I’d had that kind of love with Matt. And I threw it all away because he was being blackmailed by Isabella and refused to acknowledge my presence in public. That was oddly specific and conclusive. And despite that, all I wanted to do was text him. I looked down at my new phone. It was a bad idea. But I did know his number by heart…
What was I even doing texting Matt? I shook my head. Thinking about Matt. I was most definitely not texting him. Which was good because there was a guy that actually cared about me sitting next to me. He had my back. He cared about me. And he wasn’t embarrassed of me. Even when I did stuff my face with three sugarcakes.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to wear to homecoming?” Felix asked. “I want to make sure my tie matches your dress.”
Homecoming. Crap balls. I’d told both Felix and Matt that I’d go with them. But seeing as Matt and I were over and he was never allowed to be with me in public in the first place…he was out of the race. Which was good. Because telling one of them that I overbooked would have been very uncomfortable. So really, the breakup saved me. Yup. “I don’t know yet. As soon as I do, I’ll make sure to tell you.”
“I’ve found a few dresses online that I thought you might want to see,” Kennedy said. “But I guess you can kind of buy whatever dress you want now, right?”
I didn’t want to talk about this. I wanted to forget about the Pruitts, not picture myself in one of the stupid dresses Diane Cartwright had fitted me for. They probably all showed my midriff and Cupcake would just make fun of me all night. “Do you guys want to watch a movie or something?” I asked. It was a lame segue, but I prayed that it would work.
“Sounds good to me.” Felix put his arm behind me on the couch, being careful not to touch me.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently my segue was perfection.
Kennedy abruptly stood up. “Better idea. Let’s play never have I ever.”
“Oh, good idea, babe,” Cupcake said.
Felix looked at me like he was waiting for me to make the decision for both of us.
“Yeah, let’s do it.” I was actually feeling a little too wired to sit and watch a movie anyway. All the sugar had made me forget about the fact that I hadn’t slept at all. I’d just be careful not to bring up homecoming during the game. “Miller, you’re up first,” I said with laugh.
He just stared at me, but I swore I saw a hint of a smile.
“I can go first,” said Cupcake. “I always forget, do I say I haven’t done something, and if you guys have done it you raise your hands?”
“Yup,” Kennedy said as she settled herself into his lap.
He nodded. “Got it. Never have I ever…used a public restroom.”
I laughed. He clearly didn’t understand the game. That was just a flat out lie. I was about to correct him, but Kennedy beat me to it.
“Wait,” Kennedy said. “Your thing is supposed to be something you haven’t done.”
“Right. I’ve never used a public restroom. That’s what I just said.”
“Wait,” Kennedy said again. “Are you seriously telling me that you’ve never used a public restroom?”
“Never.”
Her jaw dropped. “How is that humanly possible?”
“I always just go home.”
“So if you had to pee right now…”
He shrugged. “I’d go home.”
No freaking way. That was the weirdest thing I’d ever heard in my life. Had he never had a bathroom emergency? Oh, no, what if he had? That meant he’d probably wet his pants in his fancy town car.
“But you’d have to drive like 20 minutes,” she said.
“You’re supposed to raise your hand if you have done that thing,” Cupcake said. “You’re not supposed to question it.”
“I’m sorry, babe. It’s just…you’re serious?”
“Of course I’m serious. Public restrooms are gross.”
So is peeing your pants. I giggled to myself even though Cupcake hadn’t admitted to such an incident.
He finally corralled us into finishing our side of the game. We all raised our hands. Because we weren’t psychopaths like him.
“Okay that was…interesting,” Kennedy said. “Well, it finally all makes sense. Now I understand that thing you told me. You know…that tidbit of information would be really great for this game.”
Cupcake looked horrified. “Don’t…”
“Never have I ever sharted my pants at school,” Kennedy said before Cupcake could stop her.
I almost spit out the sugarcake I was eating when I saw Cupcake’s eyes bug out of his head.
“I told you that in confidence,” Cupcake hissed at her.
She held back her laugh as only Cupcake raised his hand.
“It was one time,” Cupcake said.
Felix laughed. “Man, maybe you should start using a public restroom.”
“One time,” he grumbled.
Suddenly Cupcake nailing me in the face with a dodgeball or calling me fat didn’t seem so bad. The poor guy hard sharted in school. It was hard to come back from that. And yet…he was one of the most popular kids at Empire High. With the name Cupcake. He was basically a genie for pulling that one off.